1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cues for billiards and pool. More particularly, this invention pertains to a cue of laminated composition.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The cue is the implement in billiards or pool that connects the player, and his skill, with the playing objects. As the essential objective of billiards and pool tests the skill of the player in directing a cue ball with appropriate skill either to locate a cue ball to a favorable tactical position on the playing surface or to deliver the cue ball with sufficient force and draw to cause desired balls to retreat into desired table pockets, the design of a cue should meet a number of criteria. The most significant design criteria for a cue include (1) stroke accuracy and (2) touch. That is, the cue should be capable of directing a cue ball along exactly the same direction as stroked by the player in the absence of predetermined “English” and the cue should enable the player to impart a specific amount of draw or English when desired.
Referring first to stroke direction, a cue that provides true direction to the ball upon impact is desired. By providing true direction, the cue effectively becomes a “neutral” factor so that the direction of the ball truly reflects the correctness of the player's stroke. With regard to the second criterion, the skilled player will often desire to control draw and bend the direction of travel of the cue ball.
The design of pool cues for optimal performance is complicated by the length of the elongated implement. Pool cues are commonly fabricated of wood. Often, the elongated cue will, either through manufacturing inaccuracy, material properties or usage, be or become somewhat warped along the axial direction. Another factor that can influence cue performance relates to the inherent assymetry of wood grain. Such assymetry (with respect to shaft cross-section) in the grain of a wood shaft can contribute to nonuniform transmission of stroking force. The presence of such nonuniform distribution of stiffness across the cross-section of the cue will result in the imparting of a nonuniform distribution of force to the cue ball that can result in undesired bending of the path or direction of travel of a cue ball upon impact that is a function of the way the cue is held (with respect to the preferential axis of bending that reflects the nonuniformity of the grain).
A number of approaches have been attempted to enhance the performance of pool cues. They include the fabrication of pool cues of multiple laminated elongated members. The members are fixed to one another along the length of the resultant shaft. While overcoming the problem of deflection associated with warping, such lamination often introduces an increased degree of stiffness that hinders the player's feel for the cue ball. Such loss of feel can interfere significantly with the ability to impart draw and bend shots. For this reason, laminated pool cues have experienced limited acceptance with higher-level pool and billards players to date.